The Costs of Power
by WEast
Summary: Waverly is a demigod with a lot of experience and barely any time. An alert takes a turn for the worse, and for Wave, suddenly, time isn't a problem. Now, how to fix that? Will reference many different fandoms, including RotG and Avengers.
1. Visiting

Waverly stood outside of the tall wooden doors and took a deep breath. Once those doors opened, there would be no going back. Breathing out slowly, she took in the beautiful designs engraved on the chocolate-colored wood. Scenes of holly and stockings and many unidentifiable images that were probably just there for effect shone softly back at her. Waverly rested her hand on the brass handle. This was the point of no return. Was she ready? Bracing herself, she turned the knob and thrust the door open. Immediately, she also threw herself into a roll, angling herself backwards and sideways until she came up behind the unopened half of the doors, pressing herself against the wall. A gust of cold air and white powder rushed past her, coming from the room beyond. After a moment it died down, leaving only a few small flakes drifting slowly to the ground. Sighing in relief, Waverly peeked her head in. The occupant, immediately apparent, was crouched, staff aimed at the door, a disgruntled look on his face. Waverly grinned at her friend. "Better luck next time, Jack."

.,.,.,.,.

"It's not fair. I'm always ready, but I never get you! Why can't you just stay still long enough for me to get a shot in? Just one shot."

"Sorry, Jack," Waverly replied, leaning comfortably back in the armchair. "I've just got insane ninja skills. It comes with being awesome."

Jack balanced on his staff, sticking his tongue out. "Sure, Glowstick. It has nothing to do with the fact that you knew it was coming."

"Well, you do try it every time I visit, Jackie-boy. You're getting predictable." She paused. "And North told me on the way in. Were you really muttering about revenge and cackling maniacally?"

Jack suddenly became very interested in the frost designs slowly spreading on the floor. Waverly cocked her head, then grinned at him. "You didn't really think the yetis couldn't hear you?" A bluish blush crept slowly up Jack's neck. Waverly smirked, allowing herself a moment of quiet triumph, then clapped her hands. The sharp noise cracked loudly, effectively breaking the silence and causing Jack to flinch. "So. What are we going to do today?"

Jack hummed thoughtfully, then paused. A wicked glint came into his eyes. Waverly, observing this, grinned more widely. "How about a little elf-pranking, Glowstick?"

"Jackie-boy, that sounds like the perfect idea."

.,.,.,.,.

Floating up near the ceiling, Jack gazed over their handiwork, his eyes analyzing each part of the prank. He glanced down to where Waverly was standing. "A little more to the left!" Obligingly, she shifted her burden over, looking up to check with Jack. "Perfect!" Stepping back, Waverly started to wipe her forehead, before frowning at her hands. Great. They were covered in glitter.

"You know, we should really choose pranks that are less messy to set up, Jack. Look at my hands." Alighting next to her, he laughed.

"Yours? Look at mine! We didn't even use any glue and it's all over my hands. And besides, it wouldn't be as good if it didn't take a little effort."

"True. You think the cheese fondue was a good touch?"

"Sheer brilliance."

"I thought so. You checked everything?" He nodded. "We're set, then. And the lunch break is in ten minutes." She grinned evilly at the mess of wires and buckets around her, then clapped her hands together, releasing a cloud of glitter into the air. "Are you ready to-" She paused, and Jack looked around in confusion.

"What's that noise?" he asked, as Wave's eyes slid closed in exasperation. She groaned.

"It's my alarm. Something must be up."

Jack's shoulders slumped and he pouted. "So, let me guess. You have to check this out and are probably going to miss the elves getting pranked horribly as they innocently swarm for their lunchtime cookies."

"Pretty much. Record it for me?" She pleaded, staring at Jack.

He rolled his eyes. "I always do."

Wave smiled. "Thanks," she said, giving him a quick shoulder-hug before stepping back. "I'll be back soon." Checking the location of the alarm on her bracelet, she closed her eyes, envisioning the snowy mountains of Colorado. At least the crisis was somewhere pretty this time. She was getting tired of rusty abandoned buildings and dumps. As she concentrated, her body slowly dissolved into miniscule water droplets, swirling downwards into the ground and whisking her consciousness away from the North Pole and toward yet another problem she'd have to fix. Sometimes being a demigod really got on her nerves.


	2. A Friend

**A/N: Hello. Sorry for not putting this in the first chapter, but I forgot. This is my first story, so I would really appreciate some feedback. And sorry for the shortness. It just happened.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything but Waverly and a few of her things. Everything else belongs to other people that are a lot more famous than I am.**

"Oh, holy jeezums. Forgot about the snow," Wave gasped, hopping in her boots.

"I thought you were coming from the North Pole, sunshine. You're not telling me it's warmer up there?" Waverly paused in her jumping to shoot a glare at the boy that fell to pieces as she shivered.

"That's different. I can usually travel right into the workshop, unless I get distracted and aim too high. Then of course it's pretty cold falling out of the sky, but at least the snow isn't all around me. Can't you get a fire going?"

"I'd love to help you out, truly," the boy replied, "but a fire is going to be a bit of a problem."

"How?" Waverly asked, eyes round and incredulous. "You freaking make fire with your bare hands. And you're like Rudolph the Flame-nosed Reindeer."

"Hey, we've already discussed that you don't bring up the nose." The boy looked affronted. "And I'm not making a fire."

Waverly whined, stomping her feet. "Is this revenge for that time I set all of the speakers at camp to play Can You Feel the Love Tonight on permanent repeat whenever you and Calypso walked by? Because Percy told me to go through with that. I wasn't planning to actually do it."

"No, of course not," he said, before muttering something that sounded suspiciously like, 'I'm still working out the kinks in that plan.' "I called you here because there is something seriously wacko going on, and you usually take care of weird things."

Waverly arched an eyebrow. "Thanks. Nice to know I'm appreciated. What exactly is going on?"

Leo glanced nervously over his shoulder, to where a colossal sheet of knobbly ice snaked up the side of the mountain. "Maybe it would be easier if I showed you."


	3. Stuff Goes Downhill, Literally

It was only once Wave and Leo were almost on top of the ice wall that she noticed the jagged crack running through its surface, almost hidden by the surrounding bulges and dips. Barely tall enough to crawl through, it would be far too easy to miss, even when looking for it. Without a word, Leo knelt in the snow and wormed his way into the crack. Sighing at the thought of her soon-to-be freezing clothes, Waverly followed.

For a couple of feet they crept forward along the flat ground. Soon, though, Leo stopped, and whispered back to Wave, the words carrying in the small space. "Okay, this is about to get a bit steeper, but remember not to go fast. We do not want to go barreling out at the bottom, trust me."

"Gotcha," Wave mumbled back. As they slid forward along the now-sloping ground, she fought the urge to whiz down the tunnel like a penguin. _Not the time_. _But it would be so fun. No!_ Shaking her head to clear it of annoying impulses, Waverly followed the grimy shoes only a few inches from her face as they inched along at an agonizing pace. Glaciers moved faster, for goodness's sake. Finally, the slight scraping of Leo's progress was replaced with footsteps as he stood up. Waverly waited only a moment for him to give the all clear, then propelled herself out of the icy tube with a push, hopping to her feet immediately and shaking out her limbs. She looked around, scanning for threats.

They stood in what looked like a narrow hallway made entirely of ice. The ground beneath them glinted like polished marble, a slick snowy white. The walls were equally smooth, and they cut a laser-straight path through the inside of the mountain. Waverly's breath misted, the only movement in the silent, freezing corridor. Leo touched her shoulder and jerked his head to the left. With a nod, she followed as Leo began to creep along the wall, resting her fingers lightly on the silver rings fastened around her left pointer and right middle fingers. Silence deafened her.

As they walked, however, Waverly began to notice a slight whisper in the air, growing as they moved along. At the same time, the walls started to darken, changing from a clear white to an ashy grey. The ice turned to shadowy crystal. Finally, Leo stopped just before a corner, the first turning point Waverly had seen since entering the hall. Turning back for a second, he gestured toward the ground, palm flat. _Stay down_. He didn't need to remind her to stay silent. The atmosphere inside the mountain had already crushed any thoughts of noise.

Hunched over and back pressed to the wall, Leo and Wave slunk carefully around the corner. Spotting a glimpse of light, Wave peered over Leo's shoulder. And her eyes widened.


	4. Stuff Goes Downhill, Figuratively

Waverly wrapped her arms around her, shifting in the snow.

"Well?" Leo asked, waiting. Wave furrowed her brow, glancing at the small jagged hole in the ice sheet. She shivered again, then straightened.

"They're miners."

"What?"

"Miners. You know, coal, diamonds. Hi-ho? Don't you know? I mean, you're about the same size as the seven dwarfs, after all." Leo frowned at her.

"I ran away from foster homes six times, thank you very much. I didn't have time for Disney."

"Pity, that. Anyway, I don't know what they are, but they're mining, using that thing."

"Okay. What is the thing?"

"I don't know."

"Wonderful." Leo groaned, leaning back against the wall and sliding to the ground. "What do we do? Leave them alone?" Waverly looked shocked, shaking her head vigorously.

"Definitely not. You saw what they're mining."

Leo squinted up at her. "Uh, no. Actually, I was looking at the hinges on the carts. What were they mining?" Waverly let out a puff of exasperated air, rolling her eyes as she sat next to Leo. She pulled off her right ring and squeezed, adjusting her grip as it lengthened into a sword.

"They were mining terrestrial silver, like this." As she placed the sword in Leo's lap, it gleamed. The cold sun reflected off the bronze surface and illuminated strains of grey running through the metal. "It's even rarer than celestial bronze and imperial gold." Waverly glanced at the slender lines. "And it doesn't just kill monsters. This stuff can be highly explosive before it's been forged. I've seen it blow up mountain ranges.

"I didn't think there were any deposits left. There really weren't that many in the first place, and it doesn't grow back." Leo ran his finger along one of the swirling thin threads and whistled.

"Looks like you were wrong."

"Obviously. It's weird that no one found it."

Leo cocked an eyebrow. "You mean until now?"

Waverly shot him a look. "No, in two years." Leo quirked a small smile, then frowned back at the sword.

"So what do we do?"

Waverly shrugged. "We need to get the silver away from them. The amount in that cave, they could probably destroy Colorado if they mess anything up." Leo nodded, then paused.

"Wait, all of Colorado?"

"Yeah."

"If they did anything wrong at all."

"Yeah. Like if it's jostled a lot, or gets too hot or cold- Oh." They looked at each other, then down at the snow. "Dang it."

.,.,.,.,.

As they crept back along the ice hall, Leo leaned forward, his whisper sounding unnatural in the silent hall. "So, what do we do when we get there?"

"Not sure," Waverly replied. "Improvise? Just, get the silver away, I suppose. From them and this place."

Leo forced a chuckle. "I love our plans."

Grinning over her shoulder, Wave mumbled, "At least we have experience. Some people just throw themselves in without a plan the very first time."

"And you didn't."

"Uh, I was too cool for plans back then."

"You were nine."

"Whatever. As I was saying, for most people they are a necessary tool, and I fully support the idea of having a plan in a life or death situation. As long as it doesn't take too long, of course."

"Oh, of course." There was a pause, then Leo leaned forward again. "So, goals?"

'Kill the monsters, try not to make the silver explode, and figure out what the black thing is. Now, shush, we're close."

"Oh, oka-" Waverly raised her eyebrows at him. _Okay_, he mouthed. She nodded over her shoulder. Minutes later they reached the turn in the corridor. The two paused, listening, then peered around the corner into the space beyond.


	5. And We Were Doing So Well

An arched ash-colored ceiling stretched above the space, glittering like dirty diamond. Icy walls undulated around the edges of the room, making it seem like the inside of an air bubble in a frozen lake. On the opposite side of the hallway entrance, a black oval hole was embedded in the wall, dark tendrils swirling through the ice around it like an octopus. Workers bustled in and out of the void pushing mining carts, so coated in dust that only their outline was visible against the rest of the room. Waverly winced at the grinding squeal of the carts as they were pushed along deep furrows in the otherwise smooth floor. Hurriedly, she and Leo slipped behind a pile of split wood and bent metal; probably a crashed cart. Looking at it, Leo shook his head and looked over as if to say, _What the heck did they do to this?_ Wave smiled and shrugged.

_So, _Leo mouthed, _plan? _

_You can pick. _Leo grinned. Raising his hand, he pointed to Waverly, then the left side of the room, to himself, then the right. Then he made a fist and smashed it into his other hand. Waverly's eyes gleamed. Together, they started creeping to the sides of the wood stack, staying in its shadow as much as possible. Finally, they were at opposite ends, ready to attack. Leo glanced over the top of the pile. Looking back, Wave nodded.

Immediately, Leo grabbed two pieces of wood and leapt to the top of the pile. With a sharp crack, he broke one over his knee. All movement stopped as the monsters turned to look at him. Unseen, Waverly quickly melted parts of the floor, sliding mining carts silently towards the back of the room, out of the way. Holding the crowd's attention, Leo tossed the broken ends over his shoulder, and thrust the other stick into the air. The end burst into flames. Holding it up high, he gazed out over the crowd of stunned and angering monsters. A glint shone in his eyes as he yelled, "Let the games begin!"

And they dove into battle.

To Waverly, it was a bit of a blur. Time seemed to jump around, skipping from one action to the next. She jumped out from her side, her left ring shifting into a sword in her hand as she yanked it off. She was bashing demons in the dark, clouds of dust rising into the air as they fought back. She smelled gunpowder and popcorn as Leo's grenades lit up the room. Monsters screamed at the touch of the hot kernels. A peanut butter bomb exploded and one creature clawed at his eyes, which were rapidly turning red. Vaulting through the crowd, Waverly landed in front of him. She smiled sympathetically.

"Allergies?" He nodded. She smacked him with the butt of her sword and he collapsed.

The world whirled around her, up to down, then sideways and diagonal. She flipped and slid, weaving and slicing. Suddenly, she caught sight of the black void, and paused. A ring of creatures surrounded it, protecting it from attack while another small group pushed carts through. Looking around, she spotted a similar circle in the left corner, around an object she couldn't make out. Mind racing, she twisted her way toward Leo, calling out to him as she got close. Making sure he could see, she jerked her chin at the second group. He nodded and started forcing himself through the crowd, tossing fiery wrenches and yelling, "Make way for the Sizzle Master!"

Wave headed towards the first group, concentrating as the guard monsters swarmed her. She lost track of time as she fought, seeing only the demon in front of her, then the next, and the next.

"-ve!" She cocked her head while twisting a demon's arm.

"-aaave!" She could almost make the sound out, but she needed to kick the monster behind her first.

"Earth. To. Waaaaave!" She turned, stabbing a monster in the side.

"What?!" Leo stood by a dark metal console in the corner, pointing to a scarlet button.

"Should I push this?" Wave ducked under a flailing arm.

"What does it do?"

"I don't know!"

"Go for it!" He turned to press it, presenting his back to the room. A monster lunged, and suddenly Waverly's vision narrowed. With a glance at the floor below, it melted into a pool of water. The beast tumbled in, and with a blink the ice was solid again. At that moment, a fist struck her shoulder. Spun around, Waverly caught a glimpse of a dusty face, before a kick sent her sliding back. The wall flew towards her. In the corner of her eye, Leo pushed the button. Then she slid through the black void. She tumbled into murky shadow, and felt a pain in her arm. Looking up, she was just in time to see the hole spark with electricity, then collapse. An even deeper darkness surrounded her.

**Please review! I would really appreciate the feedback.**


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